Projectile.



T. A EDISON.

PHOJEGTILE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. 1916. ngnawzn DEC. 14.1918.

1300;709. Patented Apr. 15,1919.

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' To; all whom it may concern: I Be i known that I, THoMAs A. EDISON, a vcitizen ofthe- United States, and a resident lof Llewellyn Park, West Orange, Essex "county, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Projectiles, of whichthe following is a description.

invention relates to projectiles and gespecially toprojectiles designed for use in figuns of large caliber, being in some aspects an improvement on the invention disclosed in Qmy copendingapplication Serial No. 7 3868, efillled 1.January .24, 1916, and entitled Projecit .'VV j c -J-The objectof-my invention is the provion of an improved type of projectile, wherengrifledbores for discharging the same in rder to' overcome any tendency the proj ecile imayfhave toturn end over end or 9 huriin its flight. :Anotherobject of my in entionaisfto provide a projectile with imrovedmeans for accomplishing this result 7 hichalsoil "revents-rotary movement of the 'rojectile a put its longitudinal axiswhile fcertain other desirable results which are tats whileTin flight. My inventionalso conthat'the friction thereof on-thebore of a gun omewhich the'zs'ame is discharged will be educed to a As: a'smooth bore Fun is employed in dis hargingia-projecti e made in accordance .ithimyinventiomthe erosion and the fricionalwearof .the bore of the gun'are eatly reduced; and accordingly the life of t e gun -gjisincreasedand a high degreeof accuracy is .Yiobtainabletherewithfor a great number of rounds; Consequently, my invention renders much, more practicable. the use of guns of iveryfllarge caliber, which has heretofore been 1 '-limited becauseiofthe gr'eat'cost involved in 'I e repairing and replacing such guns.-

Other objects and features of my invention be hereinafter more fully-described and claimed:

'on,-attention is directed to t e accompanyg-rdrawing, forming a part of this specificaon, and inwhich: v

,1gure.1 isl a view in side elevation, partly section\and, partly broken away, of a pro- STATES j THOMAS A. EDISON, or LLEWELLYN'PARK, wns'r ORANGE, NEW ERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

byitiWill be unnecessary to employ guns hav-- niflight"and thereby. permits the attainment mpossible to obtainrwith projectiles vwhich V mplates a projectil'e of such construction :Forafclearer understandin of my inven- P T OFFIQE- I IPROJ'EOTILE.

Patented A r. 15, 1919.

lpplioationflled February 12, 1916, Serial No. 77,832. Renewed December 14, 1918. Serial No. 266,809.

jectile made in accordance with my inventlon; and Fig. 2 is an end view of the ing from the right in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the projectile comprises a cylindricalbodyportion land a reduced portion at the forward end thereof, preferably in the form of a pointed head or nose 2. The forward or head end portion of the projectile is preferably made heavier than the rear end portion thereof, as by providing the rear end portion of the projectile with a cylindrical longitudinally extending recess or cavity 3. This results in the proectile having a tendency to travel head on in its trajectory. If the projectile is to projectile lookbe used as a shell, the recess 3 may be filled with any suitable explosive, or with an explosive and shot. The recess 3 is preferably closed'at its rear end by a'suitable member .-or cap 4 which ispreferably flush with the rear end of the projectile. At its rear end a copper ring suitably applied and secured Y to the projectile. The copper ring 5 is preferablyi slightly greater in diameter 1 than the main bore of the gun for which the projectile isdesigned, wherebywhenthegun is dischargedand the. projectile, forced through said ma1n.bore,-the said ring will be compressed so as to-tightly fit the latter and will act as a packing toprevent the escape of the gases past the projectile. The forward end portion of the projectile isprovided'with a cylindrical collar 6, preferably of more than half the entire length of the projectile, and preferably having an extension 8 projecting a slight distance beyond the'body portion 1 and over the reduced portion or nose 2, thereby providing an annular space 9 between the extension 8 and the nose 2. The collar 6 may be formed integrally with the body portion 1', but is preferably in the form of a cylindrical sleeve which is shrunk on or otherwise applied and secured to the body portionL- 1 The forward end portion of-the collar 6 is preferably of substantially the same diameter as the main bore of the gun for which the said main bore, but the rear end portion of this collar is preferably reduced, as shown at 7, sot-hat thesame will not engagewith the 'said'main'bore and the friction'on the latter will be reduced when the gun is discharged' The projectile is preferably provided on the exterior ofthe body pdi-rion land beneath the collar 6 with a plurality of straight longitudinally extending open-ended grooves .10,

and these grooves are ,preferablyr equally,

"through the grooves 10.

through the grooves'lO coacts with the walls 7 wardportion of which is preferably beveled,

spaced circumferentially of the projectile.

plurality of straight longitudinally 'extending" open ended fgrooves commuriidating at 1 1. one -end with said space, said grooves being .parallelto theaxis of-the projectile, swbstan- 'ti'ally asdescribed- 3;; A pro ectile provided with a cylindri .cal collar terminating at a point remote Each groove 10.is preferably parallel to the 9 axis of the projectileand terminates at its' forward end, which is flared as shown at 11, in the head or nose 2. Each groove 10.

also extends rearwardly beyond the collar 6 for a short distance, and this 'rearwardly extending portion of'each groove gradually decreases in depth until the groove merges in thesurface of thebody portion '1.

VV'hen the projectile 1 described herein is discharged from a gun, air is entrapped'or caught in the annular space 9, and forced The air forced of these grooves toover'coine any tendency "which the 'proje'ctilemay have to turn end over end or hurtletin its fiight, and'to also'overi'come any tendency the projectile may have to turn about its longitudinalaxis. 'During the flight "ofithe projectile, the air from the rear end thereof andwith a'plurality of longitudinally extending ""opeir .775

ended grooves: beneath said collar,"said 1collar 'having a portion thereof over said 7 gropves u d; ubstantially dggyib d 4: A cylindic'al projectile, the forward I endportionfof which is' hea vier than the rear end ortion'thereof, the forward end portion 'onlyfof' the projectile being provided:

withacollar and with a pluralityfof straight l V longitudinally extending open-ended grooves beneathfsai'd collar, substantially as def scribed V 5. Acylindical projectile, th f d;

end portion or which is heavier than the "rear end'p'ortionthereof,"the forward end 7 "portion only "of; theigprojec'tile being provided with a collar and with a plurality "of straight longitudinally extending "open-1 v also exerts'an actionon thecollar 5, 'theforto prevent tipping of the, reafend'of 'the projectile and thereby the hurtling of the latter. By reason of'the flared forward f end-portion llo'f the grooves 10,: a greater, j'quantity of air is entrapped and forced through these grooves, with a consequent in;

crease in the "resistance to" the hurtling? andturning of the projectile in 'its' flight.

WVhile I have shown and describedth preferred embodiment of" my invention, it is V to be understood that the samejis subject to various changes and modifications jwithout such extension and reduced end portion, the

projectile being provided with a plurality of straight longitudinally fextending "open- -'*ended "grooves communicating at one end "with said-space, "subs'tantiallyas described.

2. A projectile comprising'a-body portion and {a reduced'endporti'on, said body por of i the projectile,substantially as described.

jecting beyond the latter rand over f said ended n'grooves""beneath'= said collar, said "groovesbeing parallel to the axis of the ro-' ject'ile and equally spaced'circumferentlally' A projectile comprising a body portion} 2a reducedjportion or fnose at 'onelend of said-bodypo'rtion, and a collar onsaid bOdyff f,

portion having a cylindrical BXtBIISl OIL"pIO I no'se ,'thereb'y provi'ding'an'annularspace IL between said exte'risiou'ahd inosefi i said V body portion being provided with a 'pluial'i ity ofstraightf longitudinally extendin opernended' grooveggibeneath said 'cbl'lan'an r said grooves"communicating at one we with T- space, substantially"as described. j

7; 'A p'rojectile"comprisingabody portion, V a red'uced portion orfinose at'on'eiend 0f r said body portion,;and aco'llar "on said body portion having a cylindrical extension pro jecting beyon'd'ythe: "latter and? over .said

nose ,'the'reby1providing an *annular'aspace between sa d extensions and nose -,i sa1d body portion being provided with a" plurality' "of" straight longitudinally extendin open-ended grooves beneath said collar,' sai grooves being parallel to 'the'axisof the-pro j ectile' and communicating at one 'end with 7 said space, and said collar having'aportion thereof over said grooves reduced, substantially as described;

8. A pro ectile provided with 'a plurality,

of longitudinally extending open ended grooves, said; =gre'oves being spaced circumtion having a cylindrical extension "project- 7 ing therefrom andoyer' said reduced; end

i ort'ion' thereby providing annular sip ace between such extension and reduced end porc5 gtion, the projectile being rovided with A 'p'rcjec'tiIe provided withia' cyilifidrim1 wcollar *terniinating at pointi w ferential'l of the projectile-andthebmmfd 'ends'of said grooves being fia'red," substantiallyas described.

from one end thereof and with a plurality of longitudinally extending open ended 7 V grooves beneath said collar, said collar having aportion thereof over said grooves re- -;duced, and another collar of substantially the same diameter as the larger portion of said first collar applied to said end of the "projectile, substantially as described. 7 r 10. A cylindrical projectile, the forward end portion of which is heavier than the rear end portion thereof, the forward end portionof the projectile being provided with a collar and with a plurality of straight longitudinally extending open ended grooves parts of which are beneath said collar, said collar and grooves terminating at points remote from the rear end of the projectile, substantially as described.

11. A cylindrical projectile, the forward end portion of which is heavier than the rear end portion thereof, the forward end 7 portion of the projectile being provided with a collar and with a plurality of straight longitudinally extending open ended grooves beneath said collar, parts of said grooves extending rearwardly beyond said collar and decreasing in depth until they merge in the surface of the body portion of the projectile, substantially as described.

12. A cylindrical projectile provided with a collar terminating at a point remote from one end of the projectile and with a plurality of straight longitudinally extending grooves beneath said collar, the said grooves having portions extending beyond the collar and decreasing in depth until they merge in the surface of the cylindrical body portion of the projectile, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 4th day of February 1916.

THOS. A. EDISON. Witnesses:

WiLLIAM A. HARDY. FREDERICK BAOHMANN.

' Copies ogthis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Z i r Washington, D. 0. 

